Re-Indigenizing Education in Postcolonial Contexts: Navigating the Local and Global in Teach First New Zealand

• In Event: Accepting Educational Responsibility: The Importance of Indigenous Research and Praxis 2

Abstract

This article draws on phenomenological data to examine Ako Matatupu/Teach First New Zealand (AM/TFNZ), an affiliate of Teach for All, and their efforts to “re-indigenize” education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Our findings suggest that AM/TFNZ’s efforts at re-indigenization have been developed within and against a complex national landscape in which educational disparities have existed for decades. While the organization has substantially shifted its discourse to emphasize Maori conceptual frameworks, translating the theories of re-indigenization into practice has proven complex as participants and staff struggle to enact decolonial practices. We use this article to consider the following question: Can a global organization re-indigenize education in a local post-colonial context particular within/against global education reform discourses?

Authors

• Katherine Crawford-Garrett, University of New Mexico

• Zachary Ramsey, University of New Mexico

• Helen McFeely, University of New Mexico

• Jackie Cusimano, University of New Mexico